A Blog about Education Abroad

Author: Sarah-J

  • Shannon at the Renmin University of China

    Shannon at the Renmin University of China

    Pre-departure:

    The preparation period for a summer school abroad is quite a tricky time. I found out that I had been accepted to study in China during my mid-year examinations, not the most prime time. I had to juggle the excitement of planning my trip and researching all the sights I wanted to see, as well as registering for my summer school courses, booking a visa appointment, checking for reasonably priced flights and securing accommodation. All of this over and above preparing and studying for my crucial third year examinations. Although it was a lot to deal with, thanks to good time-management and caffeine, I managed to get through it.

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  • Shaundre at KU Leuven and VUB, Belgium

    Shaundre at KU Leuven and VUB, Belgium

    Pre-departure:

    When getting ready to leave to go overseas, always see that your visa application is done way before you leave. I had to apply to the Belgian embassy and prior years I needed to compile all that is required and then take it myself to the embassy for processing. Now they work differently, whereby you still compile all the requirements, but you need to take it to an external company namely TLS in Cape Town and they check and send all your documents to the embassy. The only thing is you need to pay them R450 for doing this and then still pay the Schengen visa costs. It was compulsory however, only if it’s an emergency may you go to the embassy yourself.  On a positive note, I received my visa within one week, so that is good.

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  • Vasti at Åbo Akademi, Finland

    Vasti at Åbo Akademi, Finland

    Pre-departure:

    Preparation for going abroad was certainly more work than I anticipated. I had to organise five months worth of medication, organise health insurance, and apply for a visa. The visa application itself was not particularly painful, I was quickly granted a residence permit that I had couriered to my home. It is important to note that the only Finnish embassy is in Pretoria, so I had to fly there for my interview and to get my fingerprints recorded. It was also very expensive to apply for this residency permit – 300 euros, which works out to about R4500, so I had to make sure to budget for this from my travel bursary.

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